Unruh
A German surname meaning “restless,” “uneasy,” or “troubled.”
The #4,524 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 39,406 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Unruh is a German surname formed from the old adjective unruh, meaning “restless,” “uneasy,” or “without peace.” It is the kind of name that likely began as a nickname for a person thought to be agitated, energetic, or hard to keep still. Some 19th-century writers also treated it more loosely as “free from care,” but the basic sense is “restless/unquiet.”
History
The name appears in German surname lists and was noted by 19th-century onomastic writers as a German descriptive byname. It traveled to the United States with German-speaking immigrants and is now found mainly in the U.S. and German-speaking areas. The spelling has remained fairly stable, which is typical for a relatively uncommon German surname.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A 19th-century surname writer glossed Unruh as a word for someone “restless,” showing how directly some German surnames were once interpreted from everyday vocabulary.
From the historical record
“ruption of " Unicus est," the ancient Latin motto of the family. UNRUH ((S-)j Uneasy, Turbulent, ore Free from care? UNTERBERG (@.), Under hill. {y. Onderberg.) Unterber- GER, Dioeller under the hill. Unterrichter, Subordinate judge. UNWYN (05.) > Unhappy, Joyless, (v. Ubel and Unruh.) UPCOTT ((g.), High cottage.…”
— Surnames